katie

Kate walked through the door of what seemed to be a bar, and restaurant, she had not been there before and did not really understand why she was there now. The barman looked at her quizzically, kate glanced back with the same quizzical look, the bar was long with stools all along it, like any bar common to the north American cities. She ordered a drink and sat on a stool, looking around to find some clue as to why she was there, “where am I” she asked the bar keep”. “This is Ronaguns” was all his reply. The barman shifted on his feet and walked away to the other side of the bar, doing the work that bar keeps do.
Ronagun’s was split into three areas bar area seated bar area and two swinging doors separated the restaurant from the bar areas, just to the back of the seated bar area was a room which from where Kate stood, looked like it was filled with loads of arcade machines, racing bikes arcade consoles car driving games, penny slots, and fruit machines.
Katy left her drink on the bar to take a closer look at the arcade, as she walked closer to it the sound of the front door bell tolled and in came a large group of children women and men, they moved passed her almost walking through her, so Katy felt, the children moved straight to the arcade area the woman went into the restaurant area and the men seated themselves in the seated bar area, Katie abandoned her journey to the arcade area as now a lot of children where giddily playing the games on offer, she returned to the bar and drank her drink,
One of the men came to the bar and asked if she was a newbie, Katie nodded she had to her memory never been in this place before, the man turned to the barkeep and asked for a round of drinks for the men and some soft drinks for the children.
What is this place Katie asked the man at the bar where am I, the man looked shocked and said to the barman, she is not a newbie, did you give her a drink, the barman look shocked and shuck his head from side to side, you know what will happen. The barman went to the phone on the wall at the end of the bar, he spoke in a whisper. Kate looked at the man by her side, what’s wrong she asked why can I not have a drink what is wrong. Where am I? The man walked away giving Kate a backward glance.
Katy walked over to the men none of them spoke to her or looked up to see what she wanted, she could not understand what she had done to deserve such a response or lack of response.
The bar doorbell tolled again Katie turn to see who now would come through the door , it was another man, he walked to the bar bought a drink and sat on a stool, Katy went over to him.
He was very strongly built with a crew cut and blue piercing eyes; he looked at Katie first with one eye and then the other as if he was a bird weighing up her up. You know you are not supposed to be here, he said, really she replied then why are those people allowed to be her and not me, because they belong here you don’t. Katy picked up her drink and drank deeply finishing it completely. I will have another one she told the bar keep, I am afraid that is not possible you will have to leave. Without realising it Kate entered the restaurant area where the woman all sat in a circle, Kate looked around search each of their faces, trying to find someone she recognised, Katie felt that she had to find someone, someone important but she did not know where to look, maybe she would be here, none of the women looked familiar. What is this place Katie asked where am I. This is a yoga class my dear, but you are not welcome to join, its class for those you need to deal with death my dear, replied a lady in the circle. My sister is dead Katie replied, yes but you are not said the woman, we are. Katie was no longer in the restaurant area but back at the bar, the man with the bird eyes was still seated on a stool, this time he only kept one eye on the girl, what’s your name asked the man, its Katie, where am I? I don’t understand, what don’t you understand, why am here I don’t know this place, this is where the dead go, is it heaven it doesn’t look like heaven, because there are no clouds answered the man with cherubs flying around. Yes said Katie where are the angels and clouds and golden gates this is just like earth I must be dreaming....that is one way of looking at it said the man, there are places in heaven that look like that and places that have giant dining halls with a hugely long table filled end to end with food with thousands and thousands of Vikings feasting for all eternity, there are places that have green fields and trees laden with fruit and clear fresh rivers flowing through the fields, then there are places like this, you see all the people here never believed in heaven or hell of god or the devil, but they were still kind and considerate and caring in their life, so they came here when they died, the children dreamed of arcade games the women dreamed of discussion groups and yoga and gossiping the men here dreamed of beer and sports, so this is their heaven . Am I dead, Katie asked no you are not. Then where is my sister, she is dead is she here? Katie no she is not, your sister killed herself you will not find her anywhere here you must leave. The bird man lifted his hand making a swirling action with it and as he did this Katie felt like she was being lifted into the air the bar grew hazy and slowly dimmed to nothing, then suddenly she was in a street that had lots of buildings traffic lights and people milling about, was this heaven still Katie thought, it was hard to think that this place was heaven as it all seemed so ordinary, Katie wondered the streets watching the people walking about her, Katie noticed that all these people were smiling chatting, well dressed all of them looked healthy and happy, it was dark outside and when Katie looked at the stars there seemed to be an amazing amount of them shining back at her, none of them looked familiar, they looked as if place where she was, was parsecs deeper into the milky way, so deep that the light from the stars shone so bright that the street lights could not blur their celestial bodies.
Where is she? Katie thought where is my sister?